Designers

November, 2016 The well-heeled clientele of Toronto-born jeweler Myles Mindham have the luxury of shopping the world, but when it comes to dreaming up special pieces to last a lifetime, these connoisseurs come back home to collaborate with him. With no formal design training, the 57 year-old designer has been catering to celebrities and socialites alike for 25 years with …

July 2016 On the Canadian fashion front, where it’s all about ‘survival of the fittest’, designers must be prepared to think outside the conventional business box, and concoct inspiring new ways to not only market their wares, but to keep their names out there and keep themselves creatively stimulated. That is why Calgary’s Paul Hardy remains a shining light, 12 …

June 2016 When Japanese born-designer Kenzo Takada first opened his “Jungle Jap” store in Paris in 1970, he likely never envisioned that not only would his brand go down in history as a trail-blazing force in fashion, but that 46 years later, his jungle motif would still be going strong. In an inspired collaboration with Disney, the dyamic duo that’s …

May 2016 Maria Giulia Maramotti really has her work cut out for her. As the heiress to her family’s 65- year-old fashion business, the 32-year-old U.S. Director of Retail for Max Mara—and Global Ambassador of the tony brand—faces the challenge of bringing an edgy new energy to the Italian house, known in the past for its classic take on luxury. …

May 2016 To really make a mark in fashion today—to get heads turning, people talking, and the world’s top celebrities clamouring to sport your wares—a designer has to be unapologetically dynamic with his or her vision. And that’s precisely Lynn Ban’s approach. The Singapore-born, New York–based jewelry designer has become the go-to brand for most of the planet’s biggest pop …

March 2016 One thing’s for certain in the Canadian fashion arena: It’s high time our designers grabbed the attention they both need and deserve on the international stage. Now, with the vivacious and stylish Sophie Trudeau at our Prime Minister’s side, the stars may be finally aligning to give our talent the hefty platform they deserve. Consulting on the style …

February 2016 When it comes to having been through the fashion mill, Victor Alfaro has likely seen it all. The elegant, 52-year-old designer who hails from Chihuahua, Mexico, moved to the States at the age of 16, first to study communications in Texas, and then to pursue his fashion dreams in New York. In 1987, he graduated from FIT, and …

December 2015 Girls crushing on cool, successful girls is pretty de rigueur these days. And one of fashion’s most successful, ultra cool “girls” that legions of ladies around the world have crushes on is J. Crew’s president and creative director, Jenna Lyons. The 46-year-old, six-foot style icon, who worked her way up at the American sportswear company for over two-and-a-half …

April 2015 Provocative, playful, intellectual, and irreverent, Karl Lagerfeld is a colourful study in creative prowess—a multi-tasking renaissance man who’s arguably the planet’s most recognizable and prolific designer. The genius behind Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous Lagerfeld label boarded a private jet for Toronto recently, his beloved cat Choupette in tow, for a first-time meet-and-greet with Canadian media and …

“I never met a man in my life who has as much guts as he does!” The beautiful Louise Camuto – 1989’s Miss Sweden and a Miss Universe first runner-up – is singing the praises of her husband, Vince. He’s sitting across from his adoring wife of 15 years at a Bay Street boardroom table in Toronto and looking elegant …

Back in the mid 1980s, I went to New York to profile an ambitious young entrepreneur with a funny-sounding last name. Tommy Hilfiger, who had just launched a provocative ad campaign implying that the then-unknown upstart was one of America’s greatest men’s wear designers, had chutzpah to spare. Although his audacity was a little off-putting, I came away impressed, even …

The fashion arena is verging on overload when it comes to ambitious young designers with a point of view and a passion to succeed. But every once in a while, one does manage to break through the din of excess and not only get noticed by those who matter, but woo the world with a sartorial sensibility that’s both arresting …

The impending royal wedding will be a heady affair – and no one’s more aware of that than Irish-born Philip Treacy, commissioned to create the headwear for the royal wedding party. One of Europe’s top hat makers since his discovery by the late fashion editor Isabella Blow in the 1990s, Mr. Treacy is a long-time favourite of Camilla Parker Bowles, …

Those with a penchant for Parisian chic will appreciate the fact that Sonia Rykiel, the petite redhead whose spirit and style personified the Left Bank, first set the standard back in the late sixties. Once dubbed the Queen of Knits by Women’s Wear Daily, the legendary French designer, famous for her “poor-boy” sweaters and unconventional seams on the outside of …

Canadian designer Jeremy Laing has been doing a lot of soul searching lately. And while he doesn’t have any concrete answers just yet, closing down his own label, as he did this past summer, is certainly giving him added perspective on an industry that’s increasingly quick to make a buck but devastatingly slow to embrace true creativity. Arguably the most …

It’s no wonder that Toronto’s Jaleh Farhadpour has a lifelong fascination with precious gems: Back in the 18th century, her Persian family owned two of the largest diamonds on Earth. Team that with her architectural-design background and love of fashion and you have the makings of a style-savvy entrepreneur who feels the Canadian market hasn’t kept up with the yen …

Few personify French elegance better than Inès de la Fressange. The iconic model with the big personality was the first to be contracted by a major couture house back in 1983, when Chanel signed her to represent the brand. She spent six years as Karl Lagerfeld’s muse before a much-ballyhooed falling-out: In 1989, de la Fressange was chosen as France’s …

It’s hard to imagine that what started as a humble collection of 12 lipsticks could translate into a private Polynesian island, but that’s what happened for François Nars. Famous for being the makeup man who helped give Madonna her signature ultra glam look, Nars, who was born in the south of France, moved to New York in the mid 1980s …

Most designers claim to truly love what they do, but, on the runway, none has ever exhibited the pure, unbridled joy that’s become Betsey Johnson’s trademark. Still turning cartwheels at the age of 68, the spry and spirited grandmother has been catering to legions of cross-generational fashion fans since the late 1960s with her whimsically feminine, rock-and-roll sensibility. A breast …

I’ve had the privilege of hearing designers philosophize about fashion for over a quarter of a century now. But it’s when they philosophize about life that I’m really moved, remembering what it is that drives them. Deep in conversation with Oscar de la Renta at The Bay last week, I again savoured the realization that far beyond their love of …